Combined ring and pin



June 30, 1942 c. A. cARLToN 2,287,865

COMBINED RING AND PIN Filed Sept. 13, 1941 Patented June 30, 1942 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINED RING AND PIN Charles A. Carleton,Minneapolis, Minn.

Application September 13, 1941, Serial No. 410,714

Claims.

My invention provides a very useful novelty adapted to'be used either asan ornament or as a signalling device, or both, and is of such structurethat it may be quickly adjusted to a finger and used as a ring orapplied to a garment as a pm.

This device I call a combined ring and pin. It involves a crown or headand a ring-like pin. The ring-like pin is a transversely split or cutmember that is passed through the crown and at its short end, close tothe crown, it is formed with a laterally open sheath. It is preferablymade U-shaped in cross-section much like the sheath of a safety pin. Thelong end of the ring is sharpened or brought to a point so that it canbe readily inserted through cloth, but when sprung into the sheath, itwill form a complete ring. That portion of the pin that is passedthrough the crown is loosely mounted therein so that the ring can beoscillated and turned perpendicular to the crown when the device is tobe used as a ring or may be turned nearly into the plane of the base ofthe crown when it is passed into and through a garment after the mannerof a safety pin.

In the crown there is mounted one or more reflector elements or buttonssuch as made of glass and cut with facets usually tinted but sometimesof clear glass and for signalling purposes tinted ruby or red. The ringwill usually be made of quite resilient steel wire of somewhat ductilecharacter so that it can be bent to different diameters with its sharpend projected more or less into the sheath. Preferably, the ring isnormally sprung so that when its sharp end is free, it will springslightly out of the major plane of the ring.

A commercial form of the device is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout theseveral views.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device shown applied as a ring;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device showing the same applied to the backof a glove;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing the device applied as a pin to thefront of a garment;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the device showing the same removed fromworking position;

Fig, 5 is a view partly in section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, butcertain of the parts being shown in full elevation; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 5-6 of Fig. 4.

The crown of the ring is indicated by the numeral l0 and may be eitherof glass, plastic or any other suitable material. Into this crown one ormore, as shown three, reflector buttons ll of the character above statedare inserted. The ring-like pin I2 is passed through the crown ID in amanner already stated and to the projecting short end thereof issecurely attached the sheath I3. The sharp end l2 of the ring, as shownin Fig. 4, naturally springs out of the plane of the sheath l3.Obviously, when the device is to be used as a ring, it will be adjustedas shown in Figs. 1 and 5, but when it is to be used as a pin, it willbe adjusted or applied as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When applied as shownin Fig. 2, the pin will be inserted through the back of the glove or,when applied to a garment, as shown in Fig. 3, it will be insertedthrough the cloth and its ends secured in the sheath [3 with thering-like pin turned nearly closely into or toward the plane of thecrown.

This simple device, as is evident, can be used as a novelty ring orornament and whether used as an ornament or applied for other reason, itmakes an extremely effective trailic signal. Persons wearing this deviceon the hand while crossing a street through trafilc, and especially atnight, simply by holding out the hand with the reflector facing towardthe on-coming traffic, will give a very telling warning. When used bythe driver of an automobile, it gives a very effective signal of thefact that he is about to turn a corner. This simple, easily convertibledevice may be made at small cost and may be used by children as well asgrownups. It is an effective device when applied, for example, totheback of the outer garment of a person riding a bicycle.

What I claim is:

1. A device of the kind described comprising a crown, and a ring-likepin passed through the crown with the long and short end projecting fromthe same, said short end having a secured sheath adapted to receive andhold the free end of said pin.

2. A device of the kind described comprising a crown, and a ring-likepin passed through the crown with the long and short end projecting fromthe same, said short end having a secured sheath adapted to receive andhold the free end of said pin, the transverse portion of said pin beingloosely mounted in said crown and adapting the ring to be oscillated toand from a position perpendicular to the crown and whereby the devicemay be used either as a ring or as an ornamental pin.

A device of the kind described comprising crown with the long and shortend projecting 10 from the same, said short end having a secured sheathadapted to receive and hold the free end of said pin, the transverseportion of said pin being loosely mounted in said crown and adapting thering to be oscillated to and from a position perpendicular to the crownand whereby the device may be used either as a ring or as an ornamentalpin, and a reflector button applied to said crown.

5. The structure defined in claim 2 in which the free end of said pin isnormally under tension to spring to one side of the major plane of thenng.

CHARLES A. CARLETON.

